Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I am paranoid with jinxing things -- sports games, a stroke of good luck, a big commission check at work, even the weather. That's why, when we had that freak 65 degree day in February, I kept my mouth shut and still wore my heavy wool coat. Even last week, with its 70 degree days and Masters commercials featuring a picture of Amen Corner abloom with azaleas, I still refused to believe Spring was here.

However, after a beautiful day today and with the Easter weekend looming before me, I can conceivably see that the cold, 33-degree rainy Winter just may be a thing of the past. Therefore, I found these bright green veggies a perfect welcome to the warmer weather.

Something you should know about me -- I do not necessarily enjoy my fruits and veggies. But I'm learning. Starting with these roasted yummies. Yes, they are Brussels sprouts -- a veggie my mother never even attempted to ask me to eat, and here I am in my mid-twenties thoroughly enjoying a bowl of them. Who knew?

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the hard bottom and any leaves that look wilted. Cut larger sprouts in half to speed up the cooking time and ensure all pieces are relatively the same size.

Blanch the Brussels sprouts (boil water, add veggies without making water lose its boil, let veggies boil about 4 minutes until almost done, submerge in bowl of ice water -- sorry if this seems obvious but I had to look up how to do this).

Toss the sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated. Add a bit more salt than you would normally add for other vegetables. Roast for about 20 minutes. Once they are nicely brown and tender, remove and enjoy!